Improved apparatus for curing meat



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MERRILL B. SHERWOOD, JR., OF BUFFALO, lNEW YORK.

Letters Patent No. 96,978, dated November 16, 1869'.

IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR. CURING- MEAT.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part ot the same.

To all whom ,it may concern:

Be itknowu that I, ManniniJ B. Sunnwooo, Jr.,

of Bui-lido, in the county' ot' Erie, and in the State oi' 4New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inV Apparatus for Preserving Meat;A and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof", reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specilication. The nat-ure of' my invention consists in the construction and arrangement of an apparatus, together with an improved processfor salting meat and fish 0f all kinds.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains, to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe. its construct-ion and op eration, referring to the annexed drawings, in which- Figure J: is a 'side elevation of my apparat-us.

Figure 2 is a-plan view of the saine, part in section.

Figure 3 is au inside view of the lid of the vessel in which the meat or fish is salted, this view being in reduced dimensions. y

Figure 4 is an enlarged view of one of' the bolts that fasten the lid.

A represents a vessel, which may be of any size or shape desired, but better made of iron, and cylindrical in shape. Itis the vessel which, when closed, contains the articles to be salted, which are encased in .the crate B, and run into the same, and which, after being closed, is capable of hohling a vacuum. It may be closed at the end in any manner, so that the joint is made tight, and capable of maintaining a vacuum without leaking.

I prefer making this joint in the following manner:

Ou the front end ol' the cylinder is a circular flange, a., made l'ast to the cylinder, the edge of the same projecting slight-ly in front ofthe flange a, as seen in fig. 2.

C is the cyliiuler-head, which is bolted to the flange a by means ofthe bolts c c.

'lhe circular groove f, in the cylinder-head, into which the edge ot' the cylinder lits, is provided with rubber packing, and the edge oi' the cylinder is cut wit-h a thread, so as to jam tight-ly into said rubber packing.

The bolts e e are hinged between ears on the flange a; and said flange and the head O have slots cut in them, to-let in the bolts ii'om the outside, which bolts are then fastened by nuts.

lo Vtake ott' the head, loosen thel nuts on the ends of the bolts c c, when the bolts can be thrown back by means of the. hinges.

At its lower edge, the head C is furnished with a hinge, d, so thatA when it is open, it drops down.

'Ihe crate B is made for the purpose of receiving the articles to be salted.` It may be. of any desired shape to tit the vessel in which itis encased, but should be open or ventilated, so that the fluids or brine may pass easily into and around the articles t0 be salted.

The crate represented in the drawings is made cylindrical in shape, and to fit easily into the cylinder A. It opens at the top by means of a hinge, and is hung ou the wheels g gwhich run on the frame h, and across the movable pieces it, said pieces being hinged, at one end, to the frame h, and drop down, and lit into simi-4 lar rails, k lf, inside ofthe cylinder A'.

The frame and wheels ,are the same on each side of cylinder and crate.

The car D is a'common platforl'n-car, on the top of which are frames, as above described, to carry one"or more crates, as may be desired.

It is convenient to have two crates to one vessel like the vessel A, so that when a crateful that has been salted is removed, 'another Grateful to be salted stands on the car ready to take the place of the one just removed.

lhe valve m is used to admit thel brine or iluids to preserve the meats, and valve [connects with an airpump, or apparatus for removing the air, and ot' producing a vacuum.

Valve n is for the purpose ot' drawing ol the fluids.

E is the foundation on which the vessel A rests.

llhe process of salting and Inode of operating the apparatus are as follows The meats or fish are" placed in the crate B, ou the car D, and run to its place before the vessel A, which being open, the crate B is slid into the same, and the vessel then tightly closed by means of the head C and bolts c c. The brine or fluids used to preserve the meats or ish are then let into-the vessel A, through the stop-cock or valve m, after which said valve is tightly closed, and, the stop-cock or valve l being open, a vacuum is then produced, by withdrawing the air, by means ot' an air-pump or other suitable apparatus connected with vthe valve 1,-and a vacuum, if neces sary, maintained for along or short time, as may be desired, according to the sized pieces, compactness with which they are packed, and according to the degree of salting required.

It will b e seen that I produce a vacuum on the meat or lish to be salted after the brine is on them or covers them, which has the cilect of opcuingthe texture of the meat, expanding the same, and rendering the brine easily admitted, by its own weight, into and through the meats or articles to be salted. The texture being open, and nothing to resist the same, ren' ders the meats or fish more easily salted than by any other process for salting in vacuum. All other modes for salting in vacuum haveinore or less pressure on the fluid or brine at the instant it comes in contact of the meat which had been previously .expanded by vacuum, interfering with thepassage ot the liquor into the meat, like the compressing of a sponge which it is intended to saturate.

I do not claim salting meat in vacuum as novel, but the process, as herein deseribed,.after having placed the articles to be salted and the brine all together in one vessel, to produce a vacuum on all at one time, so as to have no pressure on the meat whatever, except the natural weight of the brine.

llhe advantage this apparatus and mode of salting have over other modes is, that more meat can be handled and salted in a given time, by vacuum, with this apparatus, and with less expense, than in any other way, itbeing handled inone bulk, and easily transported from one part of a packing-house to another, without handling, piece by piece, and can berlin into the vacuum-vessel in crates, so that one vessel auswers the purpose of several vessels to do the same work 'by any other way; alsoV withouttlle loss of time and expense of getting up pressure where pressure is used.

Having thus lfullylescribed my invention,

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is l 1. The vessel A, constructed as described, having an opening large enough to admita full charge of' meat or lish at' one time, and closing with a tight head, for the purpose of salting meats or fish-by vacuum, substantially as herein set forth.

2. 'lhe crate or vessel B, constructed as described, to be used as avehicle to convey meat or tish into the vacuum-vessel, and capable of carrying a full charge at one time, substantially as herein set forth.

3. Ihe arrangement of' the platform-car D, having frames h h and hinged pieces t' i., for the purpose of carrying one or more crates to and from the vessel in which the meats or fish are salted, substantially as herein set forth.

4. The above-described process of salting meats or fish, by producing avacuum on said meats or fish after the brine is on them or covers them, substantially as herein set forth.

- 1n testimony that I claim the foregoing, I have hereunto set my hand, this 17th day of August, 1869.

MERRILL B. SHERWOOD, JR.

Y Tit-nesses;

I). A. HovnY, F. It. BARNES. 

